The links between various components of our health are not always obvious.
Take high blood pressure as one example. You normally can’t perceive elevated blood pressure, and you wouldn’t feel any different than if it was normal. Internally, however, higher blood pressure can over time damage and narrow your arteries.
The consequences of narrowed arteries ultimately can lead to stroke, heart disease, or kidney disease, which is one of the reasons we have an annual physical—to discover the presence of abnormalities before the dangerous consequences develop.
The point is, we usually can’t identify high blood pressure ourselves, and often can’t instantly understand the connection between high blood pressure and, for example, kidney failure years down the road.
But what we must realize is that every part of our body and aspect of our physiology is in some way connected to everything else, and that it is our job to preserve and enhance all elements of our health.
The consequences of hearing loss to overall health
Similar to our blood pressure, we commonly can’t detect small increments of hearing loss as it develops. And we certainly have a harder time envisioning the possible link between hearing loss and, say, dementia years down the road.
And while it doesn’t seem as though hearing loss is immediately connected to dangerous physical disorders and cognitive decline, the science is telling us the exact opposite. In the same way that increases in blood pressure can injure arteries and cause problems anywhere in the body, hearing loss can reduce stimulation and cause damage to the brain.
In fact, a 2013 study by Johns Hopkins University discovered that those with hearing loss acquired a 30-40 percent faster decline in cognitive function compared to those with normal hearing. And, the study also found that the rate of cognitive decline was higher as the severity of hearing loss increased.
Experts think that there are three likely explanations for the connection between hearing loss and brain decline:
- Hearing loss can trigger social isolation and depression, both of which are known risk factors for mental decline.
- Hearing loss causes the brain to shift resources away from memory and reasoning to the processing of fainter sounds.
- Hearing loss is a symptom of a common underlying injury to the brain that also impairs cognitive functions.
Possibly it’s a mixture of all three, but what’s clear is that hearing loss is directly connected with declining cognitive function. Diminished sound stimulation to the brain changes the way the brain operates, and not for the better.
Further studies by Johns Hopkins University and others have discovered further links between hearing loss and depression, memory problems, a higher risk of falls, and even dementia.
The consequences are all associated with brain function and balance, and if researchers are right, hearing loss could very likely cause additional cognitive problems that haven’t yet been studied.
Moving from hearing loss to hearing gain
To return to the initial example, having high blood pressure can either be devastating to your health or it can be dealt with. Diet, exercise, and medication (if required) can lower the pressure and preserve the health and integrity of your arteries.
Hearing loss can similarly create problems or can be taken care of. What researchers have found is that hearing aids can mitigate or reverse the effects of cognitive decline by re-stimulating the brain with enhanced sound.
Enhanced hearing has been linked with elevated social, mental, and physical health, and the gains in hearing strengthen relationships and improve conversations.
The bottom line is that we not only have a lot to lose with unattended hearing loss—we also have a lot to gain by taking the steps to enhance our hearing.